Tips for creating a portfolio

Recommended Posts

Guest Stratiegery01

Guest Stratiegery01

Hey hey. I think that showing work on the "information superhighway" is certainly the way to go. Email was mentioned before as a "teaser" and a very effective one, but I dont feel that a teaser is what employers want to see. I applied for 4 internship positions last year at the same time, all declined. The 2 that did bite onto my resume were very interested and wanted a portfolio review, not an interview. I sent them 20 35mm slides of my most intelectually stimulating work, and needless to say, the ate it up.

The point Im making is that no one wants a teaser or a preview, they want the whole thing and every available info on it. Obviously having a personal web site (showing your portfolio, sketches, concepts, biography, resume, and design DEVELOPMENT) is a huge plus. It saves postage sending any kind of portfolio in the real, big or small. Whenever I meet some company executive that might be interested, I just give him a simple personal business card that I made on Illustrator. It gives them all my contact info and the means to view my portfolio. Currently, my web space is down so it doesnt matter anyway, but that alwyas impresses them. It gives them a professional look of my work, whatever it may be.

Interesting topic, lets keep it going....

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Guest celticsun

Guest celticsun

Email Teasers were and still are nice but I have a friend who does Professional Photography and she has a website which rocks. I never took a class in webpage design and I wish I had. I did create a front page for a possible website but I never could figure out how to get my Images up on the site or even te learnint the HTML code was like looking at statistics all over again. I just dont understand it enough to know.

I would love to show off my work on a websited location but who knows when that will happen.... Hey Stratiegery what is your website location I would like to view it.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Guest rodanx86

Guest rodanx86

I know that it is not a good idea to have your picture attached to a resume because a lot of corporations will toss any resume that my lead to a possible lawsuit based on descrimination, gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation etc. Corporations will avoid all possible conflicts so they decide to toss anything that may indicate a potential bias.

I don't see it as a matter of being proud of your work or adding a "human touch." Its a matter of living in a more litigious society.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Guest evolve

Guest evolve

i have to agree with the pro and con side of using your picture in your resume. I guess it really boils down too, your network skills during your initial call.

Here is some tips, which may work or maynot on the photo topic.

When searching for a internship or first, second job. One must go through calling to find out if they have openings for the position (example, product designer). So you 1. call directly to HR (human resource) number listed on the website or company information page. At this time, you want to be professional, nice, and always say please, thank you, or try to chat it up with whoever is talking to you. Get their name, and ask about the company as a whole. Like... (if you are applying for the product designer position) ask how is the director of design like. Or ask him or her, if having a photo on your resume helps. Or, ask about the company (remember, you suppose to prepare some question to ask in general. Nothing big but just general question you would ask if you were to walk into a company and talk to the front desk on so and so info about the company). Something like that will help you understand more if you should place your picture on your resume or not.

----

on with Renzsu questions:

This is what i know (was a board member for IDSA SFSU chapter). I've found out that, you should have all kinds of layout for your portfolio. Mini pocket style for quick drop offs. Keep in mind, if you are sending them off to design firms, don't expect them to send them back because they will not. (like others experience and said) The sending off should only have some of your work and keep in mind, you should always have a note on the back or somewhere, stating... : Complete showing of portfolio will be available upon interview. So be ready to have all type of layout for your portfolio and business card is a must if you want to show your professionalism as a designer.

Size:

again, similar to the topic answer. All sizes. A3 is great for your completed portfolio for showing. Never leave it down. This is your baby and take good care of it. Mini port. I say. Pocket size if you could or make something fun and creative. You are a designer so show your creative side and fun side. But you don't need to show all your work. Just a quick portfolio of your work is going to work.

email, this should be pdf. If you have a website showing all your work, that is great too in your email. But keep your pdf portfolio like your mini. Small and show your best work. 3-5 project or page is good amount.

Browsing:

this question, i'm not too sure how to answer because there is a good and bad side to it. I guess... (still haven't done this for mine because i'm trying to layout my portfolio myself) would be... show all your work, but do it in a book format style (this is what my idea or portfolio would be like). Like... show a table of content in the front and have tabs on the side. Each tab will be focused on the same category of your products or projects. Then if you are applying for a furniture design position, they could just quickly flip into your furniture designs. And if they are curious, they could flip through the others as they please. So that is my solution to this question.

Landscape or port:

I've asked my professor before (he's a lead designer at pentagram sf) and this is what he told me. Get a big white paper. Sketch as big as you want. You have all those spaces on the page... why would you want to sketch so small. And he then said... make uses of your layout on the page, if you do port. it would work but then you will have tons of pages in port. Landscape is best because you could always redraw something next to your sketch here and there. So landscape all your designs. BUT!!!! if you have some sketches, portfolio pieces that is done in port. layout. It is ok, just max. your space and make it flow like your landscape layout.

----

text:

how much text. like others had said. Enough to explain your project or design. Your key redesign or design is the most important factor with text. Think of it as a presentation you are doing on a computer powerpoint. Enough but don't make your client fall asleep or zoom by your text information because it is so lengthy.

----

here is my questions:

1. When showing your portfolio to firms, agency etc..etc... Do you have them sign a waver stating "all design is copyright ......."etc..etc.. to insure you are safe, and secure that they will not steal your ideas? or ??? (i've asked this question before (designers in the field) and they said to do so.. but i want to see what others have to say about this and how do you go by it).

2. i have one of the question posted on the designer forum thread but i'll state it here again on the question i'd asked on the other thread.

Design stealing... should you post it up on your online portfolio website or should you hold back on it and keep it in your main portfolio (showing one - the big book). and how can one protect their design if you do post it up online?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Re: Pictures. I like to see the designer behind the projects personally. One way to do this is not in the resume but in the pdf/web portfolio. Take process photographs which show you working. There are some limits of course. The photographs should only show how you relate to ID, not how you are a super-model in your spare time.

Re: Design Stealing. Well most of the time employers want to see how you think. You shoot yourself in the foot not showing a creative project. So show whenever you can. If you have a great idea, it should be patent protected, otherwise it is doing nobody any good, and you sit on it until it is no longer valid. Just put a little disclaimer in the text, graphics of your portfolio and hope that they don't steal it.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Guest eco id

Guest eco id

Thanks for the advice I'll have to get on that. Should they be printed on standard business card stock or can they be printed on paper from a home print? Scratch that, paper would appear un-professional. Do you know of a great site for obtaining business cards.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Guest evolve

Guest evolve

Correct, home standard paper will not work because they are light and doesn't look too professional. Even the ones where you could buy them at your local office depot, where they sell the business card sheets, they aren't very durable and very thin.

As for where to locate a place to do the business cards. I would go ask your classmate who already done it, or ask a graphic designer (if you have a department at your school) to see where they print all their graphic works. Reason why, because it is cheaper for students if you are a student of a University or a State U.

Another way is to locate your nearest printing, graphic store on the yellow page. Tell them you are a student and see if they give you a discount. Building relationship with your local stores is the key as a designer because you will alway go back to them for printing and other needs.

Remember, keep a list of who is good and who is not good at the work you do so when you do become a freelancer, you know where your connection and resources are located.